The Coriolis Effect (1994)

March 26, 1994

Review/Film Festival;
Sex, Tornado Watching And Other Hazards of Life

By CARYN JAMES

Published: March 26, 1994

A woman who walks into a tornado, a murderer who explains himself, and the nerdiest stepfather in the suburbs are the heroes of the three films joined under the rubric "Tall Tales." The works have nothing much in common beyond black-and-white photography, a length more suited to sitcoms than arty films like these (a half-hour, give or take five minutes) and a slightly macabre view of human relationships. In quality, their dissimilarities are even more glaring.

The best is "The Coriolis Effect," a fresh, self-assured film about sexual jealousy, dangerous living and the afterlife, with a nod to "The Wizard of Oz." The tale begins with the sounds of a jazzy saxophone and of a couple making love, as it happens on their kitchen table. In the midst of this, with a tornado heading their way, Suzy (Corinne Bohrer) tells her boyfriend, Ray (Dana Ashbrook, from "Twin Peaks"), that she has slept with his best friend, Stanley (James Wilder).

Almost immediately Ray and Stanley are called to their unlikely jobs as tornado watchers. On the road, chasing the twister, Stanley says he feels bad about his fling with Suzy. "I was so busy thinking about you I didn't even have any fun," he tells Ray. The film takes a deft, fantastic turn when the men wander upon Ruby (Jennifer Rubin), a young woman who may have stepped out of Stanley's dreams, and who insists she wants to walk into the tornado and beyond it to another world.

Mordantly funny and sharp, "The Coriolis Effect" was written and directed by Louis Venosta, a screenwriter whose credits include the Mel Gibson-Goldie Hawn movie "Bird on a Wire." Despite some fussy camera movements, this is the only film of the three to create the sense of discovery that the New Directors/New Films series is all about.

In "Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade," Molly Ringwald goes to an institution to interview Karl, a still-maladjusted murderer about to be released after 25 years. Fearful of fluorescent lighting, he sits under the glare of a floor lamp to describe what made him a killer at the age of 13. The film was directed by George Hickenlooper, one of the makers of the fine documentary "Hearts of Darkness," and written by Billy Bob Thornton, who plays Karl. (Mr. Thornton also acted in, and was a co-writer of, the stylish 1992 crime film "One False Move.") He evokes pity for the troubled, neglected Karl. But "Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade" is more an acting exercise than a compelling film.

"Two or Three Things My Stepfather Taught Me," written and directed by Michael Wheeler, has a few good moments as a young boy tries to adjust to his ridiculous stepfather, a man who cuts his toenails in the kitchen, the better to sweep up the clippings. But it is strained, in the manner of film-school exercises.

"Tall Tales" will be shown tonight at 6:30 and tomorrow afternoon at 3:30 at the Museum of Modern Art. The program is more admirable than it is engaging.
TALL TALES
THE CORIOLIS EFFECT
Written and directed by Louis Venosta; photography by Paul Holohan; edited by Luis Colina; music by Hal Lindes; production design, Michael Hartog and Bjarne Slettland; produced by Kathryn Arnold. Running time: 25 minutes. This film is not rated.
Ray . . . Dana Ashbrook
Suzy . . . Corinne Bohrer
Stanley . . . James Wilder
Ruby . . . Jennifer Rubin
SOME FOLKS CALL IT A SLING BLADE
Directed by George Hickenlooper; written by Billy Bob Thornton; photography by Kent Wakeford; edited by Henni Boumeester and Mr. Hickenlooper; music by Bill Boll; produced by Adam Lindemann, Mr. Hickenlooper and Kevin Hudnell. Running time: 25 minutes. This film is not rated.
Karl . . . Mr. Thornton
Charles . . . J. T. Walsh
Teresa Tatum . . . Molly Ringwald
TWO OR THREE THINGS MY STEPFATHER TAUGHT ME
Written, produced, directed and edited by Michael Wheeler; photography by Anthony Jacques. Running time: 35 minutes. This film is not rated.
Steven . . . Cale Clarke
Larry . . . Harold Cannon-Lopez
Lorraine . . . Joanna Bloem
Lance . . . Steven Cook
At the Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters in the Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53d Street, Manhattan, as part of the New Directors/ New Films series of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the museum's department of film and video.